Finally we get to Riley's!!

Well, we finally got to meet with the Team at Ian Riley’s Engineering!!

The boiler moved last March, and we finally sat down at their HQ on Thursday 19^th August. Cotswold Steam HGO team travelled up from the south/southwest and were joined by a further CSPL Board member

Work has not progressed at the pace CSPL would have liked due to COVID and not being able to meet with Riley's team face to face. Additionally, Riley’s are only just getting back to full operations post COVID

The boiler is now in various bits:

                Smoke box removed

                Smoke tube plate is out

                Front barrel section detached from the rest of the boiler

                Back head (below fire hole door) has been removed.

Based on further analysis of the smoke box Riley's will be providing a revised quote for its replacement/refurbishment.

A new smoke box tube plate will be manufactured and the go ahead was given for that to take place.

A new front barrel section needs to be manufactured but further discuss needs to take place between Riley’s, CSPL, and British Engineering (boiler inspectors). CSPL will give authority for this to happen very soon, we hope!

With the removal of the backhead we have found a larger that expected volume of old stays and other rubbish! This is proving difficult to remove but will be completed soon so the new back head section can be fitted, and the foundation ring removed

Old and new back head

 New smoke box tube place for 4277, ours will be like this one

Old parts

Our boiler internals

Volunteers Sort - CAN YOU HELP OUR TEAM

 

Can You help Us?

With the easing of “Covid” restrictions it is hoped to make more progress with the HGO of 2807, and this is going to put additional pressures on the regular members of the work-force.

Could you spare some time to assist us by taking on some of our administration work?

Admin Assistant

This is a job which can be done from home in the normal course of events. It requires a person with reasonable computer skills to provide support to the Company Secretary and the Treasurer. The bulk of the work involves the preparation and distribution of Notices of Meetings, Minutes, and Reports both Technical and Financial. On occasion it may involve communication with Depts within the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway and with suppliers. The work does not require any specialised knowledge of Railways or locomotives although an interest in the subject could make the job more interesting. In the future there will be an opportunity to advance to the role of Company Secretary when the present incumbent retires.

Do you know of a person with wood-working skills? We need somebody to help to maintain our Siphon G. It was built at the end of WW2 to serve as part of an ambulance train evacuating casualties from the battlefield.  After the war it reverted to civilian duties conveying milk and fresh produce from the West of England to London.

Joiner/Woodworker

A competent woodworker is required to repair and maintain the Siphon-G which serves as our support and storage vehicle.  The vehicle is similar in size to a passenger coach, and is constructed with an oak frame mounted on a steel chassis, with articulated bogies at each end. The frame is clad in Deal boarding with louvres running the length of the vehicle.  On each side of the vehicle are four pairs of doors for loading and unloading.  In recent times CSPL have renewed parts of the Oak frame, and replaced the cladding boards, and re-made some of the main doors. However this is a timber vehicle and it needs on-going care and maintenance to keep it weathertight.

Periodically there may be requirements to repair/modify patterns for locomotive components.

The majority of this work will be carried out on site at Toddington, so applicants will have to hold a GWSR Work Permit or pass through the GWSR Induction Course.

If you think you can help in either of the positions indicated above please drop an email to

Brian Gamlin- Chairman                brian_gamlin@yahoo.co.uk

Gilbert Kitchen – Secretary          gilbert.a.kitchen@gmail.com

HGO has restarted (again)

 

We are pleased to confirm that the HGO of the loco has restarted!

With the lifting of HMG restrictions in early April the CSPL team have been able to get back to it. This blog update shows the continued progress in taking the loco apart, creating new, refurbishing, and replacing!! 

News from Riley’s 

Lower back head section of the outer firebox has been removed; the cut-out section will form the template for the new one.

Wheels Sets

The main wheels sets, and bogie wheels, were sent away before Christmas to the South Devon for reprofiling. They have now arrived back. 

On arrival work has taken place to clean and repaint them.

All the axel boxes require refurbishment before being put back on the wheels sets.

This requires lots of measuring and discussion......something the CSPL team are very good at.............usually with tea and biscuits.

Before the wheels can be put back under the frames further work is required, more measuring and alignment checks and more tea drinking........

The team continue to clean and paint other items that have been removed from the loco. here the brake hangers are cleaned, bushes removed, and painted.

New rocker covers have been cast and are now being machined.

Both vacuum brake cylinders from the loco and tender have been removed, in the next picture you can see the cylinder shaft (tender) has been refurbished new bushes and seals will also be made in readiness for them going back on to the loco at the right time. The loco cylinder has been completed already and is in store.

Other things going on, the new ash pan has been completed and is being stored on top of the CSPL container. This has now been covered over to protect it from the elements

Running boards have been removed and are now being cleaned and painted.

Last picture is stored items that have been cleaned, checked, painted in readiness for that day when they go back on 2807.

CSPL have a busy year ahead, Gilbert has spent lots of time planning and then re planning due to COVID. We hope that now we can focus on getting 2807 back into service. There is lots to do but the team could not be more motivated!!

 

KEEP WATCHING!! 

Boiler progress update from Riley's Engineering

CSPL have issued Riley’s with authority to start work in the deconstruction of 2807 boiler and work started straight away!!

The old smoke box tube plate was removed, this involved cutting around where the longitudinal stays were secured.

To remove the tube plate the bottom of the old front barrel section had to be cut.

The next picture shows the team at Riley’s working on the front barrel section in readiness for its removal and replacement.

The ends of the longitudinal stays and the remains of the tube plate can be seen inside the front barrel section.

The Front boiler barrel section removed

Looking back into what remains of the boiler barrel, the bits of cloth are covering the end of the Longitudinal stays

Preparing the back head!

In order to enable the section below the Firehole door to be removed, these are the stays inside the firebox that need careful removal first

Keep coming back to the blog to see further updates from Rileys as well as updated from the CSPL team once HGO restarts at our based on the GWSR

Boiler Overhaul Agreement: Cotswold Steam Preservation Limited (CSPL) in partnership with Ian Riley’s Engineering

CSPL are pleased to announce that after a particularly challenging period for everyone due to COVID lockdowns, via Zoom meetings and many emails, the scope of work to overhaul the Boiler of 2807 has been agreed with Ian Riley’s Engineering Ltd (Riley’s)

This is a huge milestone and will now allow CSPL and Riley’s to move forward and focus on the specific work required to complete the boiler overhaul.

The high-level scope of work has been defined as follows:

·         Replace the front boiler barrel section and smoke box tube plate for new

·         Replace the back head from just below the fire hole door down to the foundation ring

·         Repairs to the foundation ring

·         Work to replace sections of the smoke box and smoke box door plate

·         Complete set of new tubes

·         Various other items to facilitate the above

Brian Gamlin the CSPL Chairman commented:

“ With not being able to visit Ian and his team the process has taken longer than expected, this has been frustrating for all. We are incredibly pleased to have got to this point and reaffirm that we made the correct decision to award this work to Riley’s. My thanks go to Ian, Greg, and Andy from Riley’s and to Gilbert Kitchen the CME for CSPL for their hard work so far”

Comments from The Team at Riley’s:

“Riley's are delighted that CSPL chose to trust us with the boiler work for 2807. The Pandemic has meant that no face-to-face meetings around the boiler have been possible. But CSPL and Riley's have worked together to overcome this, and we are very pleased to have agreed a scope of works and to have the positive support of CSPL that will enable us to start work immediately.”

As we release this information CSPL are planning to restart the HGO on the 31^st March and will work closely with the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR) over the coming months to get back to an “almost” normal pattern of working. Before lock down the major strip down of the main loco frames was completed. We still have a few little things to do but we can now focus on, and see, the major milestone of putting things back together. We have a long way to go and have been impacted by COVID but the CSPL team are an amazing group of volunteers that will work extremely hard to get 2807 back into steam as soon as possible.

The Board and Directors of Cotswold Steam Preservation Limited. (CSPL)

Posted by Brian Gamlin (Chairman)

Planning the HGO restart!

Just a quick update from CSPL to say that with the HMG lockdown exit plan we are looking to restart the HGO on the 31st March. The HGO team are starting to organise working parties (rule of 6) from the 31st March and we will work with the GWSR as things move forward over the next few months.

Please keep watching for updates about the wheels sets, currently at South Devon Railway for tyre and journal re-profiling. Also for a pending announcement re the boiler work to be carried out at Ian Riley's Engineering.

Continue to stay safe and think positive about 2021 and beyond

Lets get 2807 back looking like this!!

2807 at the North Yorkshire Moors in September 2014

 

HGO of 2807 is on hold due to the current issues the country is facing.

To all supporters and blog watchers

Inline the latest national lockdown regulations and to support the requirements of the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR) to protect all volunteers, Cotswold Steam Preservation Limited have implemented a temporary stop to the current HGO activities.

We are in regular contact with the GSWR Board and Operational Management team and we will review over the comings weeks when work can restart.

To cheer us all up and picture of 2807 in happier times

The CSPL Board and HGO Team

Please stay safe and protect each other

No wheels on our Loco, it’s not rolling along!!

October, November, and December have been a busy period to remove the pony truck and then wheelsets, this blog update will take you through this process.

Health and safety are a key issue so all care is taken with the current COVID rules and guidelines as well as the CSPL and GWSR rules for the handling of heavy items and ensuring the loco is safe when carrying out such work.

We are lucky enough to have heavy lifting gear that allows us to lift the complete frames of the loco off its wheels sets. This kit also allows us to remove many items with the loco safely “jacked up” and secure to anyone work in or around the frames

Firstly, the connecting rods need to be removed, something that has been done many times before but always throws up a challenge or two!

Inside the frames work to remove all the springs and axel under keeps 

Here you can see one of the CSPL team helping remove the springs

Once all the springs and underkeeps were removed the lift could take place. This was carried out with CSPL and GWSR support teams slow lifting the loco frames thus freeing up the wheelsets and axel boxes.

In the next picture you will see an old brake block hanging from the axel box to stop it flipping over and falling off the wheel set axel. The two axel boxes per wheel set are lifted and shown in later photos

The loco frames now stand above the wheels sets. This is a significant milestone in the HGO and shows the amazing work being carried out by our support team at the GWSR

After the lift it’s the move, here the CSPL team start moving the 4 wheel sets out from under the frames.

Then the lift of the axel boxes

The next picture shows all four wheels sets in front of the frames of 2807 with all the axel boxes removed

In early December the wheelsets were dispatched from the GWSR Toddington to the South Devon Railway. Here they will be re-profiled and returned where they, along with the refurbished axel boxes will be returned to the frames.

Some of the final work to be completed before Christmas was to give the loco frames a good steam clean. It also required plenty of hand cleaning with scrapers and brushes

Its has been a great end of 2020 in what has been a very challenging year. A big thank you goes to the CSPL HGO working parties on a Wednesday and Saturdays, The GWSR Steam Department and Management, The GWSR Board, and the CSPL Board/HGO Planning Team. I, as the Chairman, have had to observe from afar due to COVID travel restrictions and part of a support bubble for family.

Please keep coming back to the Blog as we will keep posting updates.